After multiple waves of COVID-19 and the continued delay of return-to-office plans, employers, workers, and the media are still asking, “How long will remote work stick around?” But the dichotomy between “still remote, for now” and “back to the cubicle” is a false one. Flexible work is no longer a temporary compromise—it’s a new reality. In this report, insights drawn from Handshake’s platform show that while remote jobs get nearly triple the applications that non-remote jobs do, Gen Z applicants still care about location and cost of living. These interplaying preferences are reshaping work in real time.
The expectations of work have changed. During the pandemic, flexible schedules, work-life balance, and employer sensitivity to individual needs—dimensions of work that Gen Z already valued – became paramount for workers. Gen Z’s continued interest in remote and hybrid work will have real economic impact, and employers will have to carefully assess their degree of flexibility in order to attract early talent.
Key takeaways
Gen Z wants remote work: in 2021, remote jobs were almost 3x more popular than non-remote jobs among Handshake users.
Cities with the most remote jobs are more popular: the proportion of remote full-time jobs in a city was a statistically significant predictor of its popularity in 2021, with every 5% increase in remote jobs translating to an increase of one application per job.
But Gen Z is not indifferent to geography: multiple factors play into their career decisions, including a desire for flexibility and a reasonable cost of living.
Not just tech majors: 22% of all applications from communications majors, 20% from art and design majors, and 22% from health professions majors were to remote roles (compared to 25% from computer science and information systems majors).
Two case studies: Miami and Washington D.C. highlight how differences in affordability, remote work opportunities, and industry hubs play into applicants’ job decisions.